Liam awoke in his new room at Aethermoor Academy, the glowing runes on the ceiling slowly fading as the sun began to rise. For a moment, he forgot where he was—forgot about the magic, the portal, the looming sense that his life had been completely upended. His body still felt heavy, as if his mind hadn’t caught up with all the changes. He threw off the covers and stared out the window, the sprawling campus stretching out before him. A few early risers were already walking through the courtyard below, their robes swirling around them as they whispered incantations or studied floating books. Liam sighed, running his hands through his hair. Is this really happening? He quickly dressed, pulling on the plain dark robe he’d been given. When he checked himself in the mirror, the reflection staring back at him was familiar but different, like the magic had changed something deeper inside him. Yesterday’s boy was still there—tired, uncertain, but beneath it, a flicker of something new, something waiting to be unleashed. His stomach grumbled and he wondered if breakfast was served here, he would imagine it had to be if he lived here, but maybe there was something he misunderstood, maybe it was his responsibility to get his own food. Despite the knot of anxiety still coiling in his chest, Liam couldn’t help but feel a spark of excitement flicker to life. This was what he had daydreamed of for years, wasn’t it? He packed a small satchel bag with empty journals that had appeared in his room overnight, ink and quills, and random books that he thought he might need and approached his door, noticing there was no handle to open it, but as he stepped up runes all along the door lit up blue and it swung open granting him exit.
The hallways buzzed with excitement as other students hurried past. Following the stream of nervous chatter and laughter, Liam made his way toward the orientation hall, trying to shake off the growing knot in his stomach, first-year students hurried past, some chattering nervously, others laughing with new friends. As he entered the large room with a massive arched sealing he was awed by the scale of it as he could have sworn not all this space might fit in the building he had just entered. The large banners hanging from the ceiling depicted the different schools of magic, each one a vibrant splash of color against the stone walls—Abjuration’s calming blue, Evocation’s fiery red, and Illusion’s swirling purple. Liam’s heart raced as he wondered where he’d end up. Rows of chairs stretched out before a large stage, where several Masters stood talking amongst themselves. The air inside the hall crackled with energy, so thick with magic that it seemed to cling to his skin. It buzzed in his ears and pressed against his chest, making each breath feel heavy, like wading through water. Liam shivered, half wondering if the others felt it too—or if it was just him.
Liam was scanning the room for an empty seat when someone bumped into him from behind, nearly knocking him over.
“Whoa! Sorry about that!” A boy’s voice called out. Liam turned to see a tall, sandy-haired boy grinning at him. His robes were a little wrinkled as if he’d thrown them on in a hurry.
“I’m Ethan. You must be new, right? Pretty sure I’d remember seeing you yesterday,” Ethan said, extending a hand with a friendly grin.
Liam hesitated before shaking it. “Yeah, just got here last night. I’m Liam.”
“Cool, cool! Nice to meet you. This is Marcus,” Ethan added, gesturing to the boy standing just behind him. Marcus was shorter, with dark hair and sharp eyes that seemed to take in everything at once. Unlike Ethan, Marcus didn’t smile, but he gave Liam a nod.
“New, huh?” Marcus asked, his voice low and calm. “Where are you from?”
Liam shifted uncomfortably. He could already tell these two were different—Marcus seemed far more serious, while Ethan was all energy and enthusiasm. “Just… the regular world, I guess,” Liam muttered. “Nothing special.”
Marcus threw him a sharp glance. “What? A regular world kid? Well, you’ve landed in the deep end now. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but you’ve got to be able to perform magic to be here, so where are you really from?”
“I’m serious,” Liam said, bristling. “I grew up thinking I was just a regular kid. My parents don’t even know this place exists.” His stomach twisted under Marcus’ gaze, but he squared his shoulders. He was done being questioned.
Marcus’ gaze lingered on Liam, sharp and calculating, as though weighing something fragile “You almost seem believable,” he muttered, his sharp eyes narrowing. “But letting someone in without magic?” He snorted. “Doesn’t bode well for Aethermoor. You sure they didn’t make a mistake?”
Liam opened his mouth to defend himself, his frustration boiling to the surface—but before he could say a word, Ethan stepped between them and just shook his head at Liam and rolled his eyes directed at Marcus, “Well, now that’s pretty wild, mate! You’ve gotta tell me all about what it was like thinking you’d be stuck in life on the ‘outside’. What do your parents do? And public school? I loved it but knew my ticket here was already punched when I turned fourteen, so I never paid much attention to it.”
As the three of them found seats together, Ethan kept up a steady stream of chatter, telling Liam about the Academy’s dueling arena, the food, which apparently is delivered to your room each morning, but a lot of students will meet in each other’s rooms or outside to eat and how he’d heard some upperclassmen were already getting ready for their Ascension Trials, which whatever that is was a total mystery to Liam. Marcus remained quiet, but every so often, Liam could feel his sharp gaze flick toward him, as if trying to figure him out.
“So,” Ethan said casually, “what do you think of being stuck in these boring first-year robes, huh?”
“I don’t know,” Liam said, pulling at the plain fabric. “It’s still a lot to take in. Feels like I’m pretending to belong here.”
Ethan grinned. “I’m going evocation all the way, my man. Fire, lightning, and all the cool stuff.” He playfully mimicked shooting flames from his fingers, making a few nearby students chuckle.
Suddenly a hush fell over the room as the doors at the back of the hall opened, and Master Murrow stepped onto the stage, followed by several other Masters. The hall’s magical lights dimmed slightly, focusing attention on the stage.
If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
“Welcome, first-year students,” Master Murrow’s voice echoed through the hall. “You are about to begin a journey that will not only test your abilities but challenge everything you know about the world—and about yourselves.”
The students listened intently as Master Murrow introduced the different schools of magic, each Master stepping forward in turn. Some of them displayed small but impressive magical feats—fireballs, glowing shields, and a plant that rapidly grew and bloomed on the stage. Liam’s heart raced as he watched the Masters weave their magic—flames, shields, life itself bending to their will. His awe was tinged with dread, each display reminding him just how out of place he felt. How was he supposed to keep up? Could he?
Finally, the Archmaster himself appeared, stepping out of what appeared to be an empty shadowed corner just a few moments before—his presence commanding, his robes darker than night, and his gaze sweeping across the hall as if seeing through every student there.
“Magic,” Archmaster Eryndor’s voice boomed, filling the hall, “is not merely a tool, but a force that shapes worlds—both yours and those around you. It is a burden and a gift, a fire that must be tempered, lest it consume you. Remember this well: it is not power that defines you, but how you choose to wield it.”
The air seemed to thrum with power as his words hung in the air. Liam felt a chill run down his spine. The Archmaster’s words were meant for everyone, but Liam felt as though they were directed squarely at him.
As the orientation ended, the students were dismissed to explore the Academy at their leisure. Liam, Ethan, and Marcus stuck together, the conversation now shifting to what they expected from their classes.
“Think we’ll actually get to blow stuff up like in the dueling arena?” Ethan asked, his eyes lighting up with excitement.
Marcus rolled his eyes. “Hopefully, we’ll learn some control first.”
Liam stayed quiet, his mind still buzzing from everything that had happened in the hall. But as they walked through the courtyard, something made him stop. A faint, distant hum in the air, like a whisper carried on the wind. He turned, scanning the treeline at the edge of the courtyard.
“What’s wrong, ‘Regular Boy’?” Marcus asked, his voice laced with sarcasm. He raised an eyebrow, glancing in the same direction Liam had been staring. “Don’t tell me the magic is already getting to you.”
Liam shook his head. “Nothing… just thought I saw something,” Liam muttered, his eyes lingering on the tree line. But the hum was still there, faint but persistent, tugging at the edges of his awareness. He wasn’t sure if he should ignore it—or if ignoring it was the worst thing he could do. But the strange feeling didn’t fade. It clung to him like a shadow, a quiet, pulsing tension in the air that made his skin crawl. He didn’t know why, but something wasn’t right. It was like the hum of magic had shifted—subtly, but enough to make him feel like he was being watched.
The boys decided to spend the rest of the together, exploring the grounds, as sullen as Marcus seemed he couldn’t come up with a better activity, so he stayed with the other two. At lunch, they separated for a few moments to fetch the food from their rooms and met outside the dueling arena to eat and watch the older students duel.
“You think they’ll let us use the dueling arena this early on?” Ethan asked, his eyes lighting up as they passed the towering stone structure. A faint hum of magic vibrated in the air around it, as though the stones themselves had absorbed centuries of spells.
“Maybe if you don’t blow it up first,” Marcus muttered.
Liam stayed quiet, the tension from earlier still gnawing at him. He couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being watched, though the courtyard was full of students milling about. Liam looked around searching for the pair of unseen eyes watching him and found his focus drawn to the same tower that Master Murrow glanced at nervously just the day before.
“What’s up there?” Liam asked, pointing to the dark tower on the far side of the grounds. The windows were barred, and no light came from inside, though the stone walls seemed to pulse faintly with some hidden magic.
“That’s the West Tower,” Marcus said quietly, his usual sarcasm gone. “Nobody goes there—except maybe the necromancers. It’s off-limits.”
Ethan chuckled. “Bet you’re dying to check it out, huh, Marcus?”
A chill crept up Liam’s spine as he stared at the West Tower. Its dark silhouette loomed over the courtyard like a forgotten monument. There was something… wrong about it. Like it was watching him back. Liam felt a pull, almost like a soft hum under his skin, urging him to move closer to the tower. But as quickly as the sensation came, it vanished, leaving him with a hollow pit of unease in his chest. Sensing his new friend’s worry Ethan tried to lighten the mood, “You really are from the regular world, huh?” Ethan said, bumping shoulders with Liam as they walked. “I mean, that’s wild. I always thought the Academy was only for magic families, in fact, I have never even heard of someone from a non-magical family.”
Liam shrugged. “It’s just as surprising to me, trust me.”
Marcus, who had been quiet, spoke up. “If you don’t learn fast, this place will eat you alive. You think just because you’ve got a spark of magic that you belong here?” he said, voice low. You’ll need more than that to survive this place. Magic isn’t a game.”
By the time they returned to the dormitories that evening, the sun had begun to set, casting long shadows across the Academy’s stone walls. The day had been a whirlwind of new faces, strange sights, and magical surprises. Liam was surprised at how relieved he felt upon the door to his room magically opening upon his approach and seeing his own space in this strange place. Liam sat on the edge of his bed, running his fingers over the soft sheets that magically adjusted to his touch. It felt…comfortable. Safe, even Liam stood up and walked over to his window, looking out over the courtyard below. Students were still moving about, some practicing spells in small groups, others chatting animatedly as they made their way to the library. It all felt so foreign, yet somehow… he was starting to get used to it. But beneath the excitement, a faint unease still gnawed at him. The strange hum in the air earlier hadn’t left his mind. And the way the Archmaster had looked at him during the orientation… it was as if he saw something in Liam that no one else did.
As the moon climbed higher in the sky, Liam finally turned away from the window, his mind still racing. He lay down on the bed, the soft mattress adjusting beneath him like it always did, and pulled the blankets over himself. But sleep was elusive. His thoughts tangled with the whispers of magic he didn’t yet understand, of the dark tower they had passed, and of the shadows that seemed to stretch longer, deeper, in the corners of Aethermoor. Eventually, exhaustion won out, and Liam drifted into a restless sleep, his dreams filled with flickering lights and swirling shadows.
The next day passed in a blur. Liam spent his time exploring the Academy’s winding halls, getting lost more than once in the vast library, and sitting with Ethan and Marcus at meals. At one point Liam found himself wandering the endless corridors of Aethermoor, each turn revealing something new. In the afternoon, he stumbled upon a group of second-year students practicing levitation spells near the library, books and quills hovering effortlessly above their heads. It was mesmerizing—and terrifying. Every corner of Aethermoor seemed to hum with life, with magic—but no matter how much he tried, Liam couldn’t shake the feeling that something was still watching him.